What's happening to American Morality?

Originally posted by AryanWatch


But only for that particular time period...If what is being said is the real TRUTH...it prevails and later the same world comes to respect those people...Think Galileo...

Well, I guess. However, it seems to me that the church labeled people "heretics" not because the individual was wrong, but because the church feared that they were a threat to the church's "authority." Of course, you probably have a different take on it than I do. Judging from your posts thus far, you seem like a pretty religious,churchgoing type to me, so you're not very likely to agree with my sentiment on this issue.



[edit on 10-5-2007 by SpeakerofTruth]

Originally posted by pieman
frankly there isn't a moral decline, there is merely an ability to look at the past through rose tinted glasses. unfortunately, it's not as if a fourteen year old girl has never been gang raped in the US before, the sad truth is that human nature being what it is, there will always be a few sickos in the bunch.

I agree.

It just seems like morality is declining due to the fact you see it in the media more often. As soon as something bad happens it's instantly on your television 24/7. Now you get deluged with coverage of murders and rapes and other things from all across the country and even around the world.

It's just a much smaller world than it used to be.

I don't think the media plays a very big role in a person's actions. I think it has more to do with upbringing than it does with media or any of the other excuses people try to bring to the table.

It's all about personal responsibility, in my opinion. We are responsible for our own actions..

Originally posted by AryanWatch
Has America gone totally immoral? Where are our Moral Inspectors? Why is nobody raising there voice when a 14 year old girl get raped by 9 men? Why are we disintegrating into seperated units when we are expected to fight as one unit? Why are families not together? Why is everyone preaching his/her own religion? Whats FSM? Mockery of Jesus? Or Mockery Of Religion?



Any Answers?

Yes most people are so busing trying to live a BS dream, buy to big of a house, buy or lease new cars every two years, trying to keep up with the "Jones"and are so worried about what other think they are missing what is really important in life. Not enough time for morality, let alone their loved ones.

Ever hear this song?

Cats in the Cradle

Cats In The Cradle

My child arrived just the other day
He came to the world in the usual way
But there were planes to catch and bills to pay
He learned to walk while I was away
And he was talkin' 'fore I knew it, and as he grew
He'd say "I'm gonna be like you dad
You know I'm gonna be like you"

And the cat's in the cradle and the silver spoon
Little boy blue and the man on the moon
When you comin' home dad?
I don't know when, but we'll get together then son
You know we'll have a good time then

My son turned ten just the other day
He said, "Thanks for the ball, Dad, come on let's play
Can you teach me to throw", I said "Not today
I got a lot to do", he said, "That's ok"
And he walked away but his smile never dimmed
And said, "I'm gonna be like him, yeah
You know I'm gonna be like him"

continued at the link and worth reading the rest of the lyrics.........

[edit on 10-5-2007 by Realtruth]

I'm not sure that morality enters into it, it's just that in the information age we live in, these things are more widely reported and more easily accessible.

Things have been the same for millenia, we just like to pretend (or believe) that things were different in the past.

There has never been a golden age of morality, all you have to do is read real history - not the sanitised version that is taught in schools, but what actually happened in years past.

I'd say that the moral downswing in this country began in the 1960s. However, the 1980s is when, at least in my opinion, the disgust of the moral American became prominent. Unfortunately, this disgust led to indifference on moral issues.

Originally posted by SpeakerofTruth
Now, this indifference, even in some people who are initially moral, lead to some pretty heinous tendencies. It's sort of the good person gone bad or "mad" scenario. They get to a point to where they say, "To hell with it. If everyone else is going to act like a barbaric individual, then I will show them what being barbaric is really all about."

You are very close my friend. I cannot go into details because we have become so politically correct that I will become labeled. You cannot fix the problem until the problem is identified and we as a society refuse to look at the problem clearly.

Until we as a society recognize that certain groups for the most part are not playing the game of being civil the civil unrest will conitue to spread. There is some people that do not play by any rules, to the point they cannot even wait their place in a line of people, they will cut right in and take what they think is their right to take. They think the rest of the society is there "prey" and the rest of that society is so blinded by being politically correct they indeed have become the prey.

"Houston we have a problem"

We just refuse to see it.

Originally posted by LoneGunMan
Until we as a society recognize that certain groups for the most part are not playing the game of being civil the civil unrest will conitue to spread. There is some people that do not play by any rules, to the point they cannot even wait their place in a line of people, they will cut right in and take what they think is their right to take.

if people are not allowed to equally participate in a society there is little reason for them to play by its rules, it's more a class issue than a race issue, its just not easily defined as such in the states because for whatever reason certain races also make up the majority of the under class.

just an observation, i'm not finger pointing.

This argument should be looked at in the same manner that most arguments of this nature are generally regarded these days: Not at all.

If one is insisting that morality is on the decline lately in America then one would not be 'doing there homework'...so to speak.

When was it more 'moral' in this county?

Was it when the trading of men and women was done as easily as the trading of wheat or lumber?

Or was it when women were seen as property of their husbands; not so much as speaking in public unless her husband allowed her to?

Could it be when we forced the 'migration' of the native peoples by means of violance and false treaties?

Were we more moral when the thought of sharing a water fountain with those of another race was considered criminal?

Or was it when women could not leave an abusive marrige and get a legal divorce unless they had a 'good reason'? (And no, 'he hits me' was not seen as an acceptable reason or even taken seriously most of the time)

In fact, one could look around and say that, as a society, we have come quite a long way. Those 'moral issues' which are thrown about within the media and politics these days are usually founded within religious beliefs and therefor get blown far out of proportion by those who practice said religion.

I go to a college with a large number of students from many ethnic backgrounds. My school has many women who are activley pursuing their masters or doctorates. I have a boss who is black and a supervisor who is latino. This experience of mine is not the exception to the rule (as it once once). If we were to travel back to those 'good ol' years' these things would have been unheard of.

We are witnessing the slow and steady dismantling of the institutionalized barriers. The socioeconomic barriers constructed during the 'golden age' of marality are finally falling within this age of 'moral repugnance' --barriers which are making it a slow march uphill.

Ha, moral decline indeed.

And just WHO DEFINES Morality?

Well, I guess. However, it seems to me that the church labeled people "heretics" not because the individual was wrong, but because the church feared that they were a threat to the church's "authority."

This was the catholic church (I'm pretty sure, correct me if I'm wrong.) They had gained too much power and feared losing it. At that point, they lost the entire point of their faith, which is that God is THE authority, not the pope, not the pastor, not nuns. He decides who is a heretic and gives us a fairly clear set of directions to recognize one.

As to the subject, it is a planned crash of everything. The general moral way of life is declining because it has been designed to.
Also, as to whether religion has anything to do with it, even if it has lost the point, a finite religious system gives a point of reference for people to base their morals on. Example?

And just WHO DEFINES Morality?

Without it, people can define right as anything they want. If they can't say that it is wrong to steal a candy bar from Wal-mart, what is the limit that is set? People, by nature, push their limits, but what if a limit isn't set.

Examples of how this is planned, you ask? 1. Remove religion from school, crime in school goes up. 2. Add soft porn access to standard tv, teen pregnancy, rape, irresponsible parents, pre-marital sex, and other thing start going up at rates previously unheard of. 3. Plato's Republic is the base of the current public school system, so the children are taken by the state, and away from the family, which is really bad. Most of us will agree that the current political system is really screwed up. In the past, every civilization that has used this system has had a major moral decay until the system imploded and the civilization ceased to exist. 4. Junk goes into our food, death rates, adhd, diabetes, cancer, etc. And why, because the FDA has chosen to release drugs into our food to perpetuate the declining health, and in the process boosting the sales of pharmaceuticals, all for money. All to slow down our response time to crisis and our willingness to put up a fight for our rights.

Anyone want to argue with any of these please feel free.

Originally posted by spines

When was it more 'moral' in this county?

Good point I am sure the Native Americans would be able to comment on the moralities of the this nation in the beginning.

I guess is all depends upon what the definition of morality is and then levels of morality based on societies paradigms.

Originally posted by Annee
And just WHO DEFINES Morality?

And that hits the nail on the head, morals are not something that comes in one single flavor for the entire world, each religions holds different morals at varying levels of importance, and even then people often switch those around based on personal experiences. Some consider the taking of life completely immoral at all times; I consider it immoral to not defend your life from being taken by another. The list could go on pointing out where different people have different morals and beliefs, but the point remains that one cannot expect a uniform concept of morals to apply to every single person.

Originally posted by pieman

if people are not allowed to equally participate in a society there is little reason for them to play by its rules, it's more a class issue than a race issue, its just not easily defined as such in the states because for whatever reason certain races also make up the majority of the under class.

just an observation, i'm not finger pointing.

Who said I was talking about a race issue?

Now that you bring it up I live in a city that is 97% of one certain race.

The emergency service calls it "living in the bubble" because things that happen elsewhere do not happen here.

I was talking about a group of people, that group could be a mixture of different races.

Would you not agree?

Originally posted by LoneGunMan

Until we as a society recognize that certain groups for the most part are not playing the game of being civil the civil unrest will conitue to spread. There is some people that do not play by any rules, to the point they cannot even wait their place in a line of people, they will cut right in and take what they think is their right to take. They think the rest of the society is there "prey" and the rest of that society is so blinded by being politically correct they indeed have become the prey.

Very true. There is a large segment of our society that thinks that the world owes them something. People of this particular mindset never really learn, not even in old age, that the world doesn't owe them anything.

These people refuse to play by the civil rules of society, yet, they demand respect. They won't receive any from me nor from any other member of civil society until they reciprocate.

I tend to think that this is a mindset that transverses ethnic and religious connotations. There are people of all ethnic and religious backgrounds involved in the particular mindset that you alluded to.

Q: "What is happening to American Morality?"
A: It was never there.

American was founded on killing, raping, and enslaving. Pillaging, home wrecking, and the quest to own everything in the world is what brought us to this great land.

Our president? Theres nothing much more immoral than sending an army to kill more innocent civilians than terrorists in the 'war on terror'.

Our televisions? Reality TV. Watching the fake # doesn't get us off anymore.

In other words to the person who started this topic - you do the math.

Originally posted by AryanWatch
Has America gone totally immoral?

No.

Originally posted by AryanWatch
Where are our Moral Inspectors?

This is a scary thought, moral inspectors? Who do you suggest take up this task? The ONLY person I want inspecting my morals is me, myself and I, thank you very much.

Originally posted by AryanWatch
Why is nobody raising there voice when a 14 year old girl get raped by 9 men?

As sick and disgusting as that is, it has happened in places other than America, in times leading up to and before now, and will happen again. What do we raise our voices too? This isn't reflective of society as we as a society have laws in place that punish people for making these types of choices. The men should be found guilty and thrown in jail to rot, simple as that. There is no need for any more outrage other than to educate people that there are very sick minds in this world.

Originally posted by AryanWatch
Why are we disintegrating into seperated units when we are expected to fight as one unit?

You lost me here... what seperated units are you referring to? The fact that the whole country doesn't feel the same way about everything? Fighting what as one unit exactly? The very concept of this is flawed as people have the right to not agree with the status quo on just about everything they want to, freedom of speech & choice.

Originally posted by AryanWatch
Why are families not together?

Again, this is a matter of choice. Many families are together, but society is evolving as well, and the traditional "family" structure is different than it used to be. We have more opportunity now and the ability to live longer by ourselves than ever before.

Originally posted by AryanWatch
Why is everyone preaching his/her own religion?

That is called freedom of religion. There are hundreds of different religions all over the world, and most likely here in the US as well. Christianity is by far the largest group here, BUT even they are split into different groups believing what makes the most sense to each of them - most other religions are like this as well.

Originally posted by AryanWatch
Whats FSM? Mockery of Jesus? Or Mockery Of Religion?
Any Answers?

Wikipedia

From Link
The Flying Spaghetti Monster is the deity of a parody religion called the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster.[1] The religion was founded in 2005 by Oregon State University physics graduate Bobby Henderson to protest against the decision by the Kansas State Board of Education to require the teaching of intelligent design as an alternative to biological evolution. In an open letter sent to the education board, Henderson professes belief in a supernatural Creator called the Flying Spaghetti Monster, which resembles spaghetti and meatballs.[2] He furthermore calls for the "Pastafarian" (a portmanteau of pasta and Rastafarian) theory of creation to be taught in science classrooms.[3]

It is simply a mockery of the fact that we are making it law to require that some form of intelligent design is taught in our schools. It doesn't mock Jesus, dont worry.

The good ol' days? I can't comment on whether 'morality' is on the decline, I'm really not old enough. Morality is obscure and it varies from individual to individual, but I think we can agree that morality is something that helps us coexist and to make life a bit more pleasant. I perceive that happiness is on the decline. I believe the problem is that people are too busy trying to satisfy unattainable goals that have been ingrained in their psyche from a very young age. What are these goals? Materialism, popularity, and hypersexuality.

I know very few people who are seeking higher education for any other purpose than to achieve wealth. Conversation with the majority always tends to steer towards 'what am I buying next' or 'Did you watch _______ last night'. And the weekends; well they are reserved for getting wasted and sleeping with someone, anyone. Most females don't see marriage as an attractive option, and there are too many who have had abortions before the age of 18. Males treat women like sex objects, so they are sure to stock up on their body sprays. Nobody reads, watches the news, or retains any useful information. People are living in their own little worlds.

Think this is exaggeration? This is normal here in Los Angeles, if you're in your early 20's at least. Conformity means being a sexed crazed idiot with a mountain of debt and no understanding of respect.

I stand in the background and try to hold back the vomit. It's lonely out here.

I cant help but be a little alarmed at the possible context of this thread, maybe its the Ayryan name!

In response to the earlier declaration that in the Soviet era, in the Bloc countries there was little crime etc, it was because those regimes ruled not just through fear, but through terror. It was fear of reprisals, and punishment, which sounds ideal, but we all know the reality is sinister regimes, and arguably worse moral decay, albeit higher up. That my 2 Cents anyway.

Originally posted by SpeakerofTruth
I'd say that the moral downswing in this country began in the 1960s. However, the 1980s is when, at least in my opinion, the disgust of the moral American became prominent. Unfortunately, this disgust led to indifference on moral issues.

I am forced to ask this, and I hope you do not take offense at my assumption:

The 1960s were, as popularly noted, the years of the 'sexual revolution' within the United States (especially amongst college students). Is a more liberal mind set concerning sexuality a moral issue in your opinion?

You mention the 80s as well, another time of fast money and sex. Once again, is a more liberal mind set concerning sex a moral issue in your opinion?

To be more direct (especially if I am off the mark on the sexual swing of my questions), what is your definition of a 'moral issue'?